Nicky Henderson: “Mister Fisher is very good but wouldn’t want it softer”

MANY of you have asked about Walking On Air and where he might run next; well I can tell you that the chances are he will probably go straight to Cheltenham for the Ballymore.

His trachea wash just wasn’t 100% and I was thinking about running him at Ascot tomorrow, but it took him quite a while to come back right again after Newbury which is why he hasn’t been seen, and I was rather worried that if we did run him this weekend and it took him the same amount of time to recover it would mean we wouldn’t have him ready for Cheltenham so I’d rather not run him at all. We go there having had just a bumper run and one outing over hurdles, which I must admit is a rather unconventional route, but Nico agrees and it seems the most sensible thing to do.

He’s a lovely big, strong horse who has a very bright future ahead of him so it would be foolish to run him just for the sake of it and risk not having him right for the Festival.

 

ASCOT

2:25 Listed Hcap Chase

Caribean Boy (James Bowen)

He put up a very good performance to win under top weight at Kempton last time and has come out of it in good form. He’s beaten Fiddlerontheroof before off level weights (at Newbury) so the fact he receives 6lbs from him today is something in our favour and this looks a very suitable stepping stone towards to the Grand National which is where we want to end up.

Unibet’s 15toGo Free Bet offer is valid on this race from 2:10pm.

 

3:38 G1 Ascot Chase

Mister Fisher (James Bowen)

I was very impressed with him in a Grade Two at Kempton last time and he has been in fantastic form at home since then. He may not be a proper Grade One horse but he is still very, very good and 2m5f around here, where he’s never raced before, look ideal and when conditions suit he can be deadly. But I am worried about the ground because he wouldn’t want it much softer and while he has proven he can handle cut, he’s much better on top of the ground. It’s a very competitive race, and JP’s seems the one they all have to beat, but he definitely deserves to be there and it would be a fairytale story if he could provide James Bowen and James and Jean Potter Ltd with their first Grade One winner respectively.

 

HAYDOCK

3:15 H’cap Hurdle

Mill Green (Nathan Brennan)

He unseated early on at Huntingdon last time so we have no idea what would’ve happened but we need to get him qualified for the Pertemps and he has to finish in the first six if we are going to go to Cheltenham, although there is the option of the Martin Pipe. Heavy ground isn’t ideal at all and there’s no doubt it’s going to be a slog up there but he’s in good shape and Nathan takes a valuable 7lbs off.

 

WINCANTON

3:58 H’cap Hurdle

Monte Cristo (Nico De Boinville)

He got hiked up in the weights for winning at Kempton on Boxing Day a couple of years ago and has suffered ever since, but the handicapper seems to have relented slightly and he’s now down to a realistic mark. This is obviously much easier than the Lanzarote Hurdle he contested last time and 2m5f on soft ground at a place like a Wincanton should see him in a good light so he has lots in his favour.